Colours of Madhubani spread across the nation

This magnificent art of Mithila has come a long way from walls and floors of local houses to being the pride of Bihar

TNN | Sep 1, 2018, 17:05 IST

It was a proud moment for everybody hailing from Bihar when the Indian Railways decided to decorate Rajdhani and Sampark Kranti Express, originating from Bihar, with Madhubani art (also known as Mithila painting). This was for the second-time that the Railways had taken such an initiative to promote state art. Earlier this year, walls of Patna Junction were decorated with Madhubani paintings. Indeed, this magnificent art of Mithila has come a long way from walls and floors of local houses to being the pride of Bihar.
From being a homely art to getting glory worldwideMadhubani painting, as the name suggests, originated in the Madhubani district of Bihar. Earlier, village women used to paint on walls and floors as part of home decor. Even the colours used for paintings were homemade. Women used to make a paste of rice and extracted colours from flowers to paint. This form of art was handed down from one generation to another. Later, people started replicating the art on paper and canvas. And soon it caught the attention of people around the world. “Mithila painting has evolved over years. When I first started Madhubani painting, I tried it on a sari or canvas, but now we have people who are willing to get a whole wall of their house painted with Madhubani art,” said Sinny Shoshya, a 22-year-old Madhubani artist.

More respect on home turfWhen Bihar Sampark Kranti Express recently reached Delhi adorned with Mithila painting, it grabbed a lot of eyeballs. But it took a while for this art to get so much popularity in the state. Earlier, this art remained within the closed walls of people’s homes. But now, this painting has got a huge splash in the city. Both Rajendra Nagar Terminal and Patna Junction have been painted with Madhubani art. The painting work at the Vidyapati Bhawan is also underway. Mithila paintings adorn the walls of Arts and Craft College in the city too. Mamta, a Madhubani artist, told us, “I am happy with the kind of exposure artists like us are getting now. Earlier, our work was limited to wall paintings. But now it’s out there in the open."
Youngsters show interest This art has piqued interest of the younger generation too. Sayee Ambekar, a student at NIFT Patna, said, “I was always interested in Madhubani art. Recently I got an opportunity to meet some local artists from Madhubani and it has got me hooked even more. I am trying to learn Madhubani painting.” Many youngsters have also turned this hobby into profession.

Sinny, who was also a part of the team which painted the Rajdhani, added, “I got interested in this art during college and after graduation, I decided to make a career out of it. Recently, I got an order from the US to paint Madhubani on silk. It is overwhelming. I am excited about the future of this art.”

Did you know?

The history of Madhubani paintings is said to date back to the time of Ramayana, when king Janak asked an artist to capture his daughter Sita’s wedding to prince Ram. The entire Janakpuri was decorated with Mithila painting at the time of the wedding .

There are two categories of Madhubani painting: Bhittichitra and Ahripana. Bhittichitra is done on the walls and focuses on gods and goddesses. Ahripana is done on the floors on any auspicious occasion.

When the earthquake hit Bihar in 1934, William G Archer, a British inspector, discovered Madhubani paintings on walls of broken houses. He then clicked a few pictures and it was for the first time that Madhubani painting was introduced to the world.

In 1970s, this painting gained commercial significance and artists started painting it on saris, bangles and salwar kurtas.

Madhubani painting was also used to protect trees in the forest. As gods played an integral part in this style of painting, woodcutters wouldn’t cut trees with Madhubani painting on them.

Japan has a Mithila Museum, which houses more than 500 Madhubani paintings.

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